Road trip to Coolangatta for 1970 Aust Titles by Kevin Ager

In the late 60s and early 70s Cottesloe surfer Kevin Ager was a member of the Yallingup Board Club and shaped for Cordingley Surfboards.

Kevin was a talented surfer and represented WA at the Nationals Surfing Titles 1969 (WA) & 1970 (Qld).

Kevin is also an accomplished sailor. In 1977 Kevin and his forward hand Rex Duechter won the Australian National Hobie-Cat 16ft Championships held on the Swan River in WA.

Kevin use to sail his Hobie-Cat to Rotto and sail/surf Transits.

Kevin Ager. Recently Norm Bateman reminded me of our road trip (to Coolangatta) for the 1970 Oz Titles. Started out in my HD station/ wagon with Rinso and Giles Geiger. Return crew was my loyal co-pilot Rinso (but crap navigator), Ian Mitch, Phil Taylor and Bob Farris (think he was WA judging rep). We picked Norm and Ian up at Mascot and took  them up to Coolie, but unfortunately Norm had to fly home (no barrels at 30,000 ft.).

Thinking back on all surf trips with various crew this one had more drama, action, laughs and tears and new experiences than all others put together.

These are my brief recollections of the 1970 road trip.

• Rinso, Giles G and me leaving Perth to meet Norm Bateman and Ian ‘Mitch’ Mitchell at Sydney airport in 5 days’ time, allowing for a couple of surfs along the way in my HD Holden s/wagon. Pity no photos available from any of the crew.
• Giles G finds big cash stash in a can whilst he and I were pushing two blown tyres to next town on the Nullarbor, leaving Rinso to guard the wagon.
• Taking a “short cut” (?) from Port Augusta that turned into a track worse than the Nullarbor and getting the windscreen smashed in.
• Finally arriving at Broken Hill and getting harassed by the local “red necks” while trying to find someone to fit new wind screen.
• Getting ripped off in Sydney by a garage who ill-fitted the universal joints that got damaged on the rough tracks we had taken.
• Knocking off two new tyres from the garage in retribution.
• Sleeping the night out at the Fairy Bower (Manly) in case the garage had called the cops.
• Norm and Mitch with us now, who we had picked up at Sydney Airport.
• Long drive up to Coolangatta not being able to do more than 40mph (not kph back then) because of the vibration from the new uni. joints.
• *Checked all the spots heading north, but everywhere was RS. Met up with Phil Taylor and Tony Hardy at Angourie in NSW.
• Had uni. joints reinstalled correctly in Tweed Heads Qld.
• Rented a duplex opposite Greenmount Head, just across the road to the contest.
• Trudy (?) & I rounding up Nat’s stupid Irish setter that had done a runner and returned it to his girlfriend who Trudy knew.
• After a disappointing contest (compared to Margaret’s in 1969) we headed down the coast for home, checking for decent waves. Norm had to fly home and Giles had crew swapped. We now had Mitch, Phil Taylor and Bob Farris.
• Spent a couple of days at Crescent Heads where we caught up with some boys from Tarni Surf Board Club in W.A.
• These boys had some “weed” and we had some laughs with them. First experience for some of the crew. All reckon that was pretty cool, so we bought a match box from them for the trip home.
• Left Crescent Heads for Penong / Cactus. Took usual route to Ceduna where Phil, Rinso and I bought a pup each from the pet store.
• Arrived at Cactus to perfect conditions and swell. Being starved of quality waves the whole trip, we stayed until food and water almost ran out (4 Days), surfing the mornings at “Caves” and afternoons at “Castles”.
• Meeting tourists at Point Sinclair jetty (short drive from Cactus), pretty stoned. They thought we were hilarious and gave us food and water for our performance.
• Left Penong for Kalgoorlie to visit my old mate Rick Syme who was working there for the Mines Dept. We were out of everything, so he fed and put us up for night, and lent us money for petrol to make it back to Perth.
• Refuelling in Northam we had an altercation at the service station with local heavies, who started throwing punches and chased us out of town, trying to run us off the road, right through to Chittering where they gave up.
• HOME! (thank God).

Peter ‘Rinso’ Wise. Unfortunately, no photos, no one had cameras back then and besides it wasn’t cool!…….but I do have pretty good memory of the trip …Mark Paterson was team boss and senior surfer. Ian ‘Mitch’ Mitchell also could tell a bit. We considered carrying a camera made you look like a geeky tourist…..what a mistake!

One point of interest is when we were in Qld, Qld champion  Michael Peterson asked if he could borrow Kevin’s car….Kev said ok  thinking Michael was just going up to Burleigh  …he came back 3 days later and had gone and surfed Noosa.

Phil Taylor – I had Richard Harvey in my heat, I believe he was current Australian champ. I managed to win the heat. It caused a stir!

Then I had top surfers Midget, Nat Young, Ted Spencer and Frank Latta in my semi. Pretty hectic!

Would love it if some photo turned up!

Kevin – To put Phil straight, Nat was the defending champ from ’69, Richard Harvey was actually placed third if my memory serves me well. And I still reckon Drouyn should have won the ‘69 Titles in WA and not come second.

Ian Mitchell. Back then Norm Bateman was a bully. He took my pink turtle-neck jumper and would not get it back to me.

Images of the other WA boys on this road trip.

Thanks for sharing your road trip recollections boys.

Footnote:

Kevin Ager. I have been retired for 15yrs now. I sold my company business in 2006 and did some real estate developments on properties I had acquired over the years.

In between time, I have been travelling, lived in France (where one of my daughters lived) for some time. Surfed South Africa and Cocos Islands a lot, but mostly North West WA and Rotto where we would spend summer on our yacht. 

I continued surf’n on short boards ’til 2018 when I broke my patella and ruptured the prepatellar bursa under the broken patellar/kneecap at Strickland Bay on Rotto It still gives me grief, so I have taken up SUP surfing (don’t take much to be a hypocrite) as I do not need to bend /use knees getting to my feet.

Related content.

1960s & 70s Kevin Ager – Surfer, Shaper & Sailor published 8 April 2015.

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